Wednesday at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas saw the unveiling of Sony’s latest paper-thin televisions with OLED (organic light emitting diode) panel. Though slightly pricey for average households, the 21-inch TVs are simply awesome!

The newly released prototype panel falls between Sony’s 11-inch screen - used in the commercial XEL-1 television - and its 27-inch prototype that has made an appearance at a number of trade shows, including the one last year.

Sporting a separate HDMI receiver, an offshoot of the astonishingly sleek design, the new line of TVs are aesthetically-designed and boast of spectacular picture displays, with bright, crisp images and deep colors. A quarter of an inch thin, sturdy and stylish, the Sony OLED sets are really beautiful - a nice TV to “aspire to own,” as Sony repeatedly puts it.

The new OLED TV was being expected for quite some time. At a conference in May last year, Sony CEO Howard Stringer had mentioned the launch of such a TV with a 27-inch panel “within the next 12 months.” That target is yet to be achieved by the company!

Televisions with OLED screens do not require backlights, because they have pixels containing an organic material emitting light of its own. As a result, lesser power is consumed and the displays become thinner. Compared to current LCDs and PDPs, OLED screens are also able to handle fast-moving images in a better way. But, of course, TVs with such screens are expensive to produce!